About 30 years ago I discovered and bought a classic Benbo tripod at a photo swap meet. It had pinched the seller’s fingers and he was eager to be rid of it. It gets put to work autumn and spring for fungi and wildflower macro photography. It can support the camera rigidly in any position required, even right at ground level. I mount the camera on a rail clamped to the ball head for ease of adjusting working distance. I see even the classic version is still available through Patterson.
I have a Benbo as well Michael. Its the most solid, adaptable tripod I have used, and I would never part with it, but unfortunatly, its a bit too heavy to lug around all day at my age.
@@rogerhance5883 The Benbo is indeed heavy. Mine, including ball head and rail, weighs 11 lbs (5 kg). At 78 kit weight is a consideration for me too. We have the good fortune to live in the middle of 40 acres (16 ha) of oak-pine-fir forest and meadows. I don't have to travel far for subjects. If a long walk is involved, I opt for a lighter solution.
@@tarjei99 Yes, but its a bit of a pain lugging it up and down hill, especially if its muddy or the terrane in rough. Having said that, I know another RUclipsr who does that.
Focus stacking is one of the 90% of features on my camera I haven't used enough . Porcelain Fungi was one of my first and favourite ones to photograph . Excellent video explaining one of the more complicated procedures operating the camera. Beautiful explanation Roger much appreciated 👍
Thanks for the very kind comment Mark. Like you, there are a huge amount of stuff on the camera that I have never used. I tried something new yesterday and had to look at a YT video on how to set it up !
Thanks John. I had hoped to do the bracketing video next, but unfortunately the cold weather and frosts have killed off a lot of the Fungi, so it may have to wait till the spring. Once the colder weather arrives , I tend to concentrate of bird photography, so thats what the next video will be about.
Cheers David. I do try to make them as informative as possible. There are lots of videos on YT were you have someone `waffling to camera` for 10 mins before even showing a picture. The annoying thing is some of them get huge views ! I cannot figure that one out ? 🤔
Many thanks Roger for another great video. Can you bracket the shots at each focus position? I know there wasn't a requirement here because the dynamic range was fine but I was wondering about the capabilities of the camera.
Thanks for the kind comments about the video Graham. Glad you liked it. I dont think it is possible to bracket shots at each exposure. If it is, I have not heard of it.
Hi Deborah, Thanks for commenting. If I could tell you that, and get it right every time, I would make a lot of money selling the information 😂. To be perfectly honest, its one of those things that comes with experience. It depends on the magnification, the angle you are photographing, how wide or narrow the subject is, etc. Generall speaking, if you are photographing something sideways on , you do not need too much depth of field , so a narrow differential and maybe 8-10 shots in the stack. If you are photographing something head on, with a wide depth of field, then a wide differential with 15 shots in the stack would be the option to go for. Also the aperture you use affects things. You may be better using less shots and a medium aperture like F5.6 or 6.7. Unfortunately, its a complex area, and I sometimes have to have two or three attempts because I dont get it right first time. Hope this helps. I will I talk about this aspect of differential in my next video.
top tips, thank you. Also thank you for displaying the differential value and number of pictures. I do love the focus peaking. Whilst watching your video and seeing it on a bigger screen I suddenly thought or what may be a stupid question.....is it possible to set the differential value and then count the focus plains to work out the number of pictures required or am I making it way to simple? It would be great if it were like that. I have never considered it before, have literally just watched the red move back and forwards. I have my plamp winging its way, hopefully arriving next week sometime. Thanks Roger once again.
Thanks for commenting. Glad you have bought a plamp. They are a great bit of kit, but for what they are, I still think they are overpriced. Not sure that setting the diffential value and then counting the focusing plains would work.
@@rogerhance5883 it was a stab in the dark about the differential, wishful thinking and all. I will master it, but think it maybe better to go down the focus bracketing route instead, I think my braincell might be able to cope with that better, though that involves more patience with stacking software. As regards that plamp, yes tad pricey for what they are but it looks like it will last and will be well made. I did contemplate some cheap alternatives but that would be flushing money away possibly. If it lasts for years then it will be a good purchase and something that I will enjoy using knowing that it won't break (at least I hope it won't). Always good to have an extra hand when you are by yourself trying to get the right angle etc.
@@banjowillowwarbler-gm4jk I have been thinking about going the focus bracketing route of late. I do like the fact that you do have an instant result with stacking, but there are times when I have felt that bracketing would produce a better result. I have in fact purchesed Helicon Focus, so maybe come the spring, I may try that route. Regarding the wimberly plamp, dont forget to buy the ground spike as well, otherwise you have nothing to fix the bracket onto. Also, regarding the groundspike, remember that when you pull the plastic part up, , dont forgether to spull the screwdriver part as well. I have twice just pulled the pastic part, walked on and remembered I still had the centre screwdrive part still in the ground.
@@rogerhance5883 sadly my memory is shot to pieces so I am bound to forget it at some point. I am always having to go back and try and retract my steps to locate some item or another, but thanks for the tip. I do believe I have bought the base part of it too. I am just about to get stacking software either Helicon or Zerene Stacker, haven't quite made my mind up yet but both look amazing. Bracketing definitely hands back control to you for better image results, it'll be a vertical learning curve (at least I am hoping the curve does start and it won't always be vertical). Good luck with you stacks.
You need to have the focusing clutch pulled forward to enable Focus Stacking to work. Otherwise it is greyed out. What you then do is turn stacking on in the menu, and then in the super control panel, change from C-Af to manual focus. You can now turn the focuing ring to achieve correct focus. When you press the shutter button it resorts to autofocus for the stack but will start at the position you have initially focused on.
Can you do more images in a stack than the camera can process? I recently saw images that consisted of nearly 100 images. Probably more than the camera could process.
You can do more images if you use `bracketing ` as opposed to `Stacking`. With `stacking` the top limit is 15. This will do stack them `in camera` for you. With `bracketing` the top limit is 999, but most people who stack dont go much above 100. With bracketing , the camera will not stack them for you. You have to do that on your computer.
Hello Roger, thanks for sharing your knowledge. A question: on what basis do you calculate the differential step and the number of shots to be performed during the stacking?...
You set the initial focus with peaking in MF, I can see the MF icon on its monitor. Does the camera then switch to S-IS automatically to do the focus stacking or does it just move the focus in and out by some fixed amount? OM-Workspace does show where it focused each shot. Do the stack photos start in the middle and then move forwards then back, back then forwards, start at the front and go back? I may appear to be old and stupid but I have not had my OM-1ii long and I'm consistently getting defocused foreground with the 60mm. Am I expecting a deeper range of field than it does? Thank you :)
Nice video Roger. Some great tips there. Well done!
THanks Richard. Much appreciated.
Thanks for illustrating where to setup focus point for stacking and bracketing
Thanks for commenting. Glad you found it helpful.
Very well done Roger. Great results that should inspire people to get out and doing this.
Thanks Mike. The tip you gave me about not filming from the same position all the time ,has made them a bit more interesting.
@@rogerhance5883 i have just received my clamp this morning and im out with it in the morning Roger
About 30 years ago I discovered and bought a classic Benbo tripod at a photo swap meet. It had pinched the seller’s fingers and he was eager to be rid of it. It gets put to work autumn and spring for fungi and wildflower macro photography. It can support the camera rigidly in any position required, even right at ground level. I mount the camera on a rail clamped to the ball head for ease of adjusting working distance. I see even the classic version is still available through Patterson.
I have a Benbo as well Michael. Its the most solid, adaptable tripod I have used, and I would never part with it, but unfortunatly, its a bit too heavy to lug around all day at my age.
@@rogerhance5883 The Benbo is indeed heavy. Mine, including ball head and rail, weighs 11 lbs (5 kg). At 78 kit weight is a consideration for me too. We have the good fortune to live in the middle of 40 acres (16 ha) of oak-pine-fir forest and meadows. I don't have to travel far for subjects. If a long walk is involved, I opt for a lighter solution.
How about a golf cart for your benbo and other gear?
@@tarjei99 Yes, but its a bit of a pain lugging it up and down hill, especially if its muddy or the terrane in rough. Having said that, I know another RUclipsr who does that.
Another nice and informative video Roger.
THanks David. I have enjoyed making these Fungi videos.
Rob. Great video. Can't wait to try this techniques. Btw. It's a fungus. Fungi is a bunch of them.
Thanks for commenting Michael. Good point about the `fungus` `fungi`
Focus stacking is one of the 90% of features on my camera I haven't used enough . Porcelain Fungi was one of my first and favourite ones to photograph . Excellent video explaining one of the more complicated procedures operating the camera. Beautiful explanation Roger much appreciated 👍
Thanks for the very kind comment Mark. Like you, there are a huge amount of stuff on the camera that I have never used. I tried something new yesterday and had to look at a YT video on how to set it up !
Excellent informative video Roger Thanks.
Thanks for commenting Phil
Fantastic shots Roger, thanks for a really informative video. Look forward to learning about bracketing 👍
Thanks John. I had hoped to do the bracketing video next, but unfortunately the cold weather and frosts have killed off a lot of the Fungi, so it may have to wait till the spring. Once the colder weather arrives , I tend to concentrate of bird photography, so thats what the next video will be about.
@ No problem Roger, thanks for letting me know. Love the bird pictures and videos. I’ll be tuning in whatever the subject👍
@@johnpark8297 Thanks John 👍 Appreciated
Excellent. Really informative. Thank you
Cheers David. I do try to make them as informative as possible. There are lots of videos on YT were you have someone `waffling to camera` for 10 mins before even showing a picture. The annoying thing is some of them get huge views ! I cannot figure that one out ? 🤔
Thanks Roger. Your images were excellent. Thanks for sharing them and explaining how best to get good close up shots.
Very kind of you Trevor. Glad you liked it. Thanks for commenting
Good stuff again, thx.
Cheers mate. Much appreciated.
Excellent images and narrative, thank you Roger 👍
Cheers Nigel. Thaksk for the very kind comments. 👍
Another excellent video Roger many thanks
Thanks for the very kind comment. It is appreciated.
Well done Roger. I do love that stacking feature. Might be time to update my camera 🤔. Excellent video as usual.
Cheers Neil. Stacking is on a lot of the mirrorless cameras these days. Its a brilliant feature.
Good information Roger Thx.
Much appreciated Steve. Many thanks.
Many thanks Roger for another great video. Can you bracket the shots at each focus position? I know there wasn't a requirement here because the dynamic range was fine but I was wondering about the capabilities of the camera.
Thanks for the kind comments about the video Graham. Glad you liked it. I dont think it is possible to bracket shots at each exposure. If it is, I have not heard of it.
Hi Roger, I would appreciate your advice. How do I judge in advance how many shots and what differential to use when focus stacking please
Hi Deborah, Thanks for commenting. If I could tell you that, and get it right every time, I would make a lot of money selling the information 😂. To be perfectly honest, its one of those things that comes with experience. It depends on the magnification, the angle you are photographing, how wide or narrow the subject is, etc. Generall speaking, if you are photographing something sideways on , you do not need too much depth of field , so a narrow differential and maybe 8-10 shots in the stack. If you are photographing something head on, with a wide depth of field, then a wide differential with 15 shots in the stack would be the option to go for. Also the aperture you use affects things. You may be better using less shots and a medium aperture like F5.6 or 6.7. Unfortunately, its a complex area, and I sometimes have to have two or three attempts because I dont get it right first time. Hope this helps. I will I talk about this aspect of differential in my next video.
top tips, thank you. Also thank you for displaying the differential value and number of pictures. I do love the focus peaking. Whilst watching your video and seeing it on a bigger screen I suddenly thought or what may be a stupid question.....is it possible to set the differential value and then count the focus plains to work out the number of pictures required or am I making it way to simple? It would be great if it were like that. I have never considered it before, have literally just watched the red move back and forwards. I have my plamp winging its way, hopefully arriving next week sometime. Thanks Roger once again.
Thanks for commenting. Glad you have bought a plamp. They are a great bit of kit, but for what they are, I still think they are overpriced. Not sure that setting the diffential value and then counting the focusing plains would work.
@@rogerhance5883 it was a stab in the dark about the differential, wishful thinking and all. I will master it, but think it maybe better to go down the focus bracketing route instead, I think my braincell might be able to cope with that better, though that involves more patience with stacking software. As regards that plamp, yes tad pricey for what they are but it looks like it will last and will be well made. I did contemplate some cheap alternatives but that would be flushing money away possibly. If it lasts for years then it will be a good purchase and something that I will enjoy using knowing that it won't break (at least I hope it won't). Always good to have an extra hand when you are by yourself trying to get the right angle etc.
@@banjowillowwarbler-gm4jk I have been thinking about going the focus bracketing route of late. I do like the fact that you do have an instant result with stacking, but there are times when I have felt that bracketing would produce a better result. I have in fact purchesed Helicon Focus, so maybe come the spring, I may try that route. Regarding the wimberly plamp, dont forget to buy the ground spike as well, otherwise you have nothing to fix the bracket onto. Also, regarding the groundspike, remember that when you pull the plastic part up, , dont forgether to spull the screwdriver part as well. I have twice just pulled the pastic part, walked on and remembered I still had the centre screwdrive part still in the ground.
@@rogerhance5883 sadly my memory is shot to pieces so I am bound to forget it at some point. I am always having to go back and try and retract my steps to locate some item or another, but thanks for the tip. I do believe I have bought the base part of it too.
I am just about to get stacking software either Helicon or Zerene Stacker, haven't quite made my mind up yet but both look amazing. Bracketing definitely hands back control to you for better image results, it'll be a vertical learning curve (at least I am hoping the curve does start and it won't always be vertical). Good luck with you stacks.
Fab!
Thanks. Your very kind. Glad you liked it.
if you pull the clutch to MF the focus stacking does not work. please explain
You need to have the focusing clutch pulled forward to enable Focus Stacking to work. Otherwise it is greyed out. What you then do is turn stacking on in the menu, and then in the super control panel, change from C-Af to manual focus. You can now turn the focuing ring to achieve correct focus. When you press the shutter button it resorts to autofocus for the stack but will start at the position you have initially focused on.
Can you do more images in a stack than the camera can process?
I recently saw images that consisted of nearly 100 images. Probably more than the camera could process.
You can do more images if you use `bracketing ` as opposed to `Stacking`. With `stacking` the top limit is 15. This will do stack them `in camera` for you. With `bracketing` the top limit is 999, but most people who stack dont go much above 100. With bracketing , the camera will not stack them for you. You have to do that on your computer.
Hello Roger, thanks for sharing your knowledge.
A question: on what basis do you calculate the differential step and the number of shots to be performed during the stacking?...
You set the initial focus with peaking in MF, I can see the MF icon on its monitor.
Does the camera then switch to S-IS automatically to do the focus stacking or does it just move the focus in and out by some fixed amount?
OM-Workspace does show where it focused each shot.
Do the stack photos start in the middle and then move forwards then back, back then forwards, start at the front and go back? I may appear to be old and stupid but I have not had my OM-1ii long and I'm consistently getting defocused foreground with the 60mm. Am I expecting a deeper range of field than it does?
Thank you :)
👍👍👍🇩🇪
Thanks 👍 Glad you liked it.